Lesson Summary - Chapter 11 - "The Life of Christ"

Gospel Principles - Chapter 11 - "The Life of Christ"

There are times when we have lessons, and as I think about what I will write about, I feel really inadequate.  I feel that I won't be able to convey the beautiful message in a way that will be beneficial and really do the topic justice.  This would be one of those times.  Our lesson today was on the life of Christ.  I actually had the privilege to hear this lesson twice because last week I was in a different ward, and they were a lesson ahead of my own ward.  Lucky me.  :)  It's a really great lesson, and I invite you to read it on your own--especially the part about the Atonement.  Ponder the words and concentrate on how it makes you feel.

Sometimes reading about it isn't enough for me.  One of the great advantages to living in the technologically-advanced world we live in today is that we have access to uplifting videos right at our fingertips.  I found this video on MormonMessages.org today that has depictions of the pain and sufferings Christ went through for us and also the joy of his resurrection.




I'd like to add my testimony to those already stated in this video.  I know that my Savior lives.  I know that he suffered all, and that if I turn to him my suffering can be taken away.  He did that for ME!  And he did that for you.  Turn to him.  Take your pains to him.  When my dear, sweet daughter was sick as a newborn and in so much pain from hunger and surgery, I prayed for him to take away her pain, and he did!  I have a firm testimony of the power of the Atonement.  I KNOW that my Savior loves me because he made the ultimate sacrifice.  I learned in this lesson that because he had Heavenly Father as his father, he could not die unless he chose to do so. And he did.  Also, because Mary was his mother, he had to suffer the same pains we do as mortals.  What he did wasn't easy, but he did it because he cares for us so much.  I am so grateful for a loving Savior who was willing to die, and a loving Heavenly Father who was willing to sacrifice his Only Begotten so that the rest of his children could live.

"Seeking to Know God, Our Heavenly Father, and His Son, Jesus Christ" - Elder Robert D. Hales

"Seeking to Know God, Our Heavenly Father, and His Son, Jesus Christ" - Elder Robert D. Hales

Sometimes after I read these talks, I just want to write on here, "Go read it.  The end," because it's THAT good.  This is one of those talks.  It's so very powerful and a call to action.  Read it.  Please.

But then what would be the point of having this blog if I'm just going to tell you to go read something else? :)

I recently watched a movie that was set in a world where no one could lie about anything.  Eventually, one guy was able to tell something that wasn't--the first lie.  It made for a pretty funny movie with lots of crazy scenarios, but in one scene, the makers of that film really made quite a statement.  When his mother died, he told her that she would go to heaven so that she wouldn't be so scared about dying.  After that everyone came to him asking about this after-life, and he began to explain about God.

Did you catch that?  The man who was lying was explaining to the people about God.

This really got to me, and I thought about it a lot afterwards.  In Elder Hales' talk, he says, "As prophesied, we live in a time when the darkness of secularism is deepening around us.  Belief in God is widely questioned and even attacked in the name of political, social, and even religious causes.  Atheism, or the doctrine that there is no God, is fast spreading across the world."  It's spreading so fast that I can't even watch a movie without it being thrown in my face.

However, I'm in the mindset that no one is truly an Atheist as they claim to be.  I heard a quote recently that said, "They may go in the foxhole an Atheist, but they don't come out one."  My brother-in-law just recently came back from Afghanistan, and he said everybody was praying over there.  He also said that he saw many instances when he knew God was watching out for him and the others there.

How do I know there is a God?  Even if I hadn't felt the Holy Ghost bear witness to me that he is real, I don't think I could look at this beautiful Earth and believe that it just appeared here by chance.  The Earth we live on is so amazing.  Our own bodies are so amazing.  Scientists have tried to create artificial intelligence but have yet to succeed in making anything as complex as our brains.  How could something so complex just have happened?  No, our magnificent bodies have been created by a Supreme Being--Our Heavenly Father.

Another point that Elder Hales mentions that I felt was important was that we are created after his image.  That means that Heavenly Father has a body of flesh and bones.  Elder Hales says, "Some people may be surprised that we look like God.  One prominent religious scholar has even taught that imagining God in the form of man is creating a graven image and is idolatrous and blasphemous. But God himself said, 'Let us make  man in our image, after our likeness.'"

At the end of his talk, he gives us a call to action:

If you cannot remember believing in God or if you have ceased to believe or if you believe but without real conviction, I invite you to seek a testimony of God now. Do not be afraid of ridicule. The strength and peace that come from knowing God and having the comforting companionship of His Spirit will make your efforts eternally worthwhile.

Even more, with your own testimony of God, you will be able to bless your family, your posterity, your friends, your own life—all those you love. Your personal knowledge of God is not only the greatest gift you will ever give, but it will bring you the greatest joy you will ever have.

If you feel as though you've lost your testimony or if you're not even sure you have one, take his challenge!  Do not be afraid.  Ask with sincere intent, and you will know.

Please know that our Father in Heaven loves you.  He cares about you so much.  For proof, in Moses 7:28 it says, "And it came to pass that the God of heaven looked upon the residue of the people, and he wept."  He wants you to be happy.  When you're sad, he is sad.  He weeps with you.

Come to him.  Speak with him.  Discover that eternal love he has for you.  You're never too far gone to speak with him.  Whatever your state in life, you can always turn to him.  He will listen, and he will answer.

New Member Profiles on Mormon.org

Ever had a desire to share your own personal conversion story and testimony with others but wasn't sure how?  Mormon.org has launched a new profile site where YOU can upload your picture and share your testimony and answer questions.  This is their official statement about it:

Mormons come from diverse backgrounds and experiences who all share a deep commitment to Jesus Christ and to each other. The new Mormon.org is designed for visitors to learn more about members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Each profile is a collection of stories and testimonies from Mormons. Participation is optional, but you must be a member of the Church to create a profile. The profiles will be made public this summer when the new site will launch. English-only profiles will be available this year; other languages will follow after.

I, for one, am really excited about it, and I'm already working on my very own profile page.  Since most of us are on social networking sites like Facebook anyway, why not make your own Mormon profile?  Your testimony could help someone searching for answers.

You'll need a LDS Account to log in.  If you already have a log-in for the stake and ward websites, you're set!  Use it to log in.  If not, you can talk to your ward clerk to get your membership record number and your confirmation date.

I can't wait to see what develops from this.  :)  Visit Mormon.org today!

Lesson Summary - Chapter 3 - Jesus Christ, Our Chosen Leader and Savior

Gospel Principles - Chapter 3 - Jesus Christ, Our Chosen Leader and Savior
"Jesus Christ is Central to Heavenly Father's Plan" - Feb 2010 Ensign

Since this is my blog, and I can technically do what I want, I'm going to do something different today.

First off, above are a couple of great links you should check out.  The first is our actual lesson from today, and the second is an article that our teacher referenced from this month's Ensign.  You can read those if you like.

Now that we've gotten that out of the way... As I was sitting in Relief Society today, my mind drifted to what I would actually write about in this here blog.  Yeah, my mind wanders a lot.  I'm working on that.  While it was wandering, I thought about the topic of today's lesson--Jesus Christ.  Just three pages (four if you count his picture) are in this lesson.  Three.  That doesn't seem like enough to encompass everything that is Jesus Christ.  And now that I think about it, I suppose we all have a slightly different perspective on who Jesus Christ is because of our own experiences.  His atonement affects everyone, but in different ways.   That's why I love hearing others' testimonies because its so neat to hear a fresh perspective on what I thought I already knew.  So with that in mind, I am going to share my own testimony of Jesus Christ.  Maybe there will be some things that you already knew, but maybe... just maybe... there will be something you hadn't thought of before that will strengthen your own testimony of Jesus Christ and his beautiful atonement.

I was raised in the church.  From an early age, I was taught of Jesus Christ.  I knew a lot about him.  Stories and miracles and such.  I always knew the right answers, and I always did as I was told. I was even told by my friends as I grew older that I was the little voice in their head that told them to do good things.  Funny, huh?  I thought I had a pretty strong testimony of the Savior.

Then, I went to college.  This was my first experience away from home and living with people who did not by any stretch of the imagination grow up learning the same standards that I did.  I was thrown head first into "the world," as we Mormons like to call it.  During that first year away at college, I became friends with a boy named Blake.  He was a great friend to me, although you may not think so after this next statement.  Blake made me question my religion.  He would ask me questions about it out of nowhere.  I remember one time in particular when I was talking about how I was getting the chance to see Gordon B. Hinckley speak, he said, "Do you really believe he's a prophet?"  Whoa... what?  I don't think anyone had asked me that before.  I didn't really know what to say, but I said "Yes," because that's what I was supposed to say, right?

Now, I don't want you to think that Blake was a bad person because he wasn't. He respected me for my beliefs.  He told me I was a good person.  I am extremely grateful to him for what he did.  Really.

So after many questions from him and from my own brain, I was left in a state of confusion.  What did I believe?  I remember feeling this way on a long drive back to college from home.  It was a Sunday.  I had been listening to music, but I was tired of it.  I turned it off and thought to myself, "I should be listening to church music today."  I started singing a song called "I Heard Him Come."  As I sang it, I realized that all that stuff I "thought" I knew about Jesus Christ was really true.  He really lived.  This is the first time I remember actually feeling and knowing that Jesus Christ loved me and sacrificed himself for ME!

Since then, I have had many experiences that have helped me understand the atonement and the immense love the Savior has for me.  I know that people are probably tired of hearing me talk about it, but my most recent experience with my daughter being in the hospital was probably the biggest testimony builder I've ever had of Jesus Christ.  It was then that I learned as I watched my daughter suffer from hunger knowing that it was the only way her body could heal how hard it must have been for Heavenly Father to watch his Son suffer knowing that it was the only way we could heal.  It was then that I prayed so very hard that the atonement would take away the pains and sufferings of my little girl and watched it happen.  I am so, SO very grateful for that beautiful sacrifice that he made so that not only I, but my loved ones might live.  And not just live... but live in happiness.  Live without pain.

Today I watched the movie The Testaments.  As I listened and watched the terrible way they treated him, it was all I could do not to cry.  It is hard to believe that someone would love me that much--so much that he would not just die, but suffer.  But the amazing thing is that it actually happened.  He is real.  He is alive.  He has suffered all so that we don't have to.

I know my Savior lives.  I feel it in my heart.  I feel it all over.  He saved my little girl.  I know that is the only reason she is alive today.  I know it.  He is my salvation.  And he can be yours.  I hope that if you don't know already that you will pray to learn for yourself that Jesus Christ is your Savior.  I am so grateful I did.

First Post! Yay!

WELCOME!!!

You're probably not as excited as I am about this, but thanks for reading this anyway. My hope in starting the blog is to get other women, especially those who live in my area, excited about what we do in Relief Society.

In my own ward, I am the 2nd Counselor in the Relief Society Presidency. I help plan the RS meetings formally known as "enrichment."

Honestly, before I was called to be a counselor, I had never spent much time in the Relief Society. I spent most of my time during that third hour of church in other callings far, far away from Relief Society. I was okay with that, too, because from what I had seen of Relief Society, it was for old women. I had no place there. It was boring--plain and simple. We had visited Relief Society a few times while I was in the Young Women's program, but all I got from it was that their announcements included who had died and who was sick--not quite as exciting as what dances and activities were coming up.

When I was asked by my Bishop to accept this calling in Relief Society, I wasn't excited about it at all, but I accepted because I never turn down a calling. I felt very inadequate in my abilities. I didn't know the first thing about Relief Society. About that time I heard this beautiful song that said, "He is calling you even in your weakness. He is calling you to come as you are." That was the ONLY thing that helped me feel better about what I was about to do. We are called no matter what our weaknesses are.

Over the last year, my dislike of Relief Society has turned into an intense love. As I have striven to plan activities that include my fellow sisters, I have seen what wonderful talents and attributes that they have. As a young mother with very rambunctious children, the third hour of church seems to be the only one that I really get to pay attention in. Whenever I am having a bad Sunday morning, I can always count on my lovely sisters in Relief Society to uplift me and bring me back to the spiritual place I want to be. It's a chance for all of the women to be themselves and share experiences. It is truly a blessing to be part of this wonderful organization.

I hope, sincerely hope, that those of you who read this will one day realize the love that you can enjoy by being a part of Relief Society. I especially want those Young Women who will soon be joining our ranks to know that it's not just a place for old women like I once thought. (I mean, please, I'm not old yet!) True, we all have a little crazy in us, but that's what makes it fun. :)

Keep checking in periodically for lesson summaries, spiritual thoughts, and a few announcements for activities in our area. Thanks for reading!